A Glimpse
by mollytov
Summary: Sophia Reyes has a chance encounter one fine Manhattan afternoon. A Daniel/Betty Story


Sophia Reyes, editor in chief of MYW Magazine, stood outside a midtown Manhattan bistro awaiting the arrival of her clients. Life as the editor of a major publication was treating her rather well. Yesterday it had been lunch at Masa with the rep from Cover Girl Cosmetics; the day before that, dinner in SoHo with a group of wonderful women from Nike. Now, this afternoon, she was poised and ready to win over the advertisers from Ralph Lauren with lunch at this cozy, but highly acclaimed new restaurant. She had absolute and complete confidence in her own abilities as an editor and as a sales woman and it showed. Outwardly, she radiated strength and individuality; characteristics she wore proudly and ones that her clients respected. She felt as though she was at the top of her game and she loved it.

She brushed her thick, dark hair from her shoulders where it was caught by a passing breeze. It was hard for anyone, man or woman, not to notice this exotic beauty; stylishly dressed, her head held high, long hair tousled by the wind. At this moment, she looked as though she could own the world.

As she scanned the rows of passing cars, searching for her lunch companions, a black town car caught her eye. It pulled up to the curb in front of the restaurant where it came to a slow stop. Sophia smiled, smoothed a hand over the front of her coat and took a few steps forward. The door of the car opened and a tall, handsomely dressed man stepped out. Sophia raised a hand to catch his attention, but as the man turned around to face her, her hand dropped to her side. The color in her face paled slightly. It was not in fact one of her clients from Ralph Lauren who had just stepped out of the car. It was Daniel Meade.

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Shocked, Sophia unknowingly took a few steps backward. Mercifully, the sidewalk outside the restaurant was crowded and he hadn't noticed her. She suddenly wished she hadn't chosen to wear a bright red coat today. She moved back nearer to the building where she was somewhat shielded from view by the awning. It wasn't like her to behave this way, but seeing him unexpectedly like this had caught her off guard.

From the safety of her hiding spot behind the crowd, she watched as he closed the car door and walked toward the entrance to the restaurant. To her surprise, he didn't go in. Instead, he stopped just outside the door and turned to gaze at the cars passing by, just as she had been doing. Perhaps he too was waiting on a client. Sophia couldn't help but notice how terrific he looked.

It had been three years since she'd last seen Daniel Meade; more specifically, since she'd broken his heart on national television and left him alone to pick up the pieces. She still felt a tinge of guilt for doing what she'd done. She hadn't wanted him to get as hurt as he did, but it was business and in her world, sometimes love was business.

But time looked as though it had been good to him. He looked happy. In fact, he looked positively joyful. He stood with his hands stuffed inside the pockets of his black, wool trench coat, the bright sun warming his features and a radiant smile curving the corners of his mouth. He _was_ happy. She wondered what the source of this happiness could be and felt a small pang of disappointment that it had absolutely nothing to do with her.

To be quite honest, she had found herself, on more than one occasion, wondering what life would have been like had she married Daniel Meade. He had been quite good to her; there was no doubt about that. It wasn't far fetched to think that they could have been happy together. Sophia felt a sudden surge of empowerment and smiled to herself. Perhaps they still could.

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It seemed crazy, but she suddenly had the urge to go over and talk to him. Sure it was a risk, but Daniel had always been like putty in her hands. That power she'd once held over him had been intoxicating and seeing him now made her want it back. Maybe she and Daniel could have a second chance. Maybe he was still in love with her. Or maybe she was just living proof of the old adage; you always want what you can't have. But no one was going to tell Sophia Reyes what she could or could not have. Once she made up her mind that she wanted something, there was no changing it and right now, she wanted Daniel Meade.

As she stepped forward in anticipation of revealing herself, a man emerged from the crowd on the sidewalk and greeted Daniel. Sophia stopped where she was and watched. Daniel smiled warmly and embraced the man as though he were family. He was a short, handsome man, probably in his fifties, with a kind face and a fatherly look about him. She would swear that she knew him from somewhere, but couldn't quite put her finger on where. The two men talked and laughed for a minute, but the noise from the street prevented her from hearing their conversation.

She considered the situation for a moment. The man was probably just a friend and she still very much wanted to talk to Daniel. She shouldn't let this stop her. She had never been the shy type. She took a deep breath and once again made an effort to push herself forward.

Before she could do so, a woman's voice called out excitedly, catching the attention of Daniel and his friend as she shouted above the noisy, New York crowd. As the tall, curvy, dark haired beauty pushed her way boldly through the crowd, Sophia could feel the confidence radiating from her and took an instant, if unfair, dislike to her. The two men turned their backs to where Sophia stood and waved to the woman, who Sophia now noticed was accompanied by a statuesque, older woman and a stylishly dressed teenage boy. The five of them reunited, chattering happily and exchanging hugs. Through the crowd, Sophia was finally able to recognize one of the faces. The second woman who had arrived was Claire Meade, Daniel's mother. She was just as lovely and sophisticated as Sophia remembered. What she or Daniel was doing here with these other unknown people was anyone's guess.

The group's conversation came to a halt as another town car pulled up in front of the restaurant. They all turned to look. Daniel's face instantly lit up and he hurried to meet the car. Sophia watched anxiously. Irritated by this latest interruption, she waited impatiently to find out what was going on.

Just as soon as the car had come to a stop, Daniel had his hand on the door handle. He pulled open the sleek black door and leaned forward into the car, where he was lost from view. Moments later, he reemerged and Sophia's jaw almost dropped to the floor. Nothing could have prepared her for the site now in front of her; Daniel Meade with a baby in his arms.

Sophia's heart sank in her chest. She knew instantly that the child was his. As difficult as it was for her to accept, Daniel's body language and demeanor gave it away. And if that wasn't proof enough, the small girl was the spitting image of him. She had chestnut brown hair and enormous blue eyes, just like her father. It disheartened Sophia to admit it, but she truly was a beautiful baby. Daniel smiled lovingly at the little girl and brushed a soft kiss against her cheek. She giggled in return, grabbing his face with her tiny hands and kissing him back. Sophia felt a sense of jealousy that was unfamiliar to her; jealousy not of the child, but of the fact that Daniel had so completely and so obviously moved on from her. Not only that, but he looked ten times happier now than he ever had at any moment in their relationship. The realization made her sick inside.

At this point, Claire approached the car and held out her arms for the little girl. With another kiss to her nose, Daniel handed her over to Claire and turned back to the car.

"What now?" Sophia thought to herself. It had only been three years. "How many kids could he possibly have?"

Daniel smiled and offered an extended hand to someone inside the car. From her vantage point, Sophia could see that his face was aglow with emotion. Moments later, a woman emerged from the car, holding tightly onto Daniel's hand and looking positively radiant. She was a petite woman, with dark hair and glowing caramel colored skin. Before she could even take a step away from the car, Daniel leaned down and kissed her, more passionately than Sophia would have expected in such a public setting. For a moment, the two of them seemed lost in their own little world. Sophia dropped her gaze to the sidewalk. This was not a sight she wanted to witness.

The woman touched Daniel's face lovingly as he finally broke the kiss. They smiled at one another and he gave her hand a tug, leading her forward. As the woman stepped out into the bright daylight, Sophia got a better look at her. She was beautiful; dark eyes to match her hair and skin, full red lips and a cute, curvy figure. She was undeniably adorable and to Sophia's great chagrin, Daniel was quite obviously, head-over-heels in love with her.

At that moment, a gust of wind rushed past, brushing back the sides of the woman's coat and causing the fabric of her green dress to hug the curves of her body. Sophia's eyes widened yet again as she realized that Daniel's dark haired little beauty was indeed pregnant. What had moments ago been hidden by the coat was now blatantly obvious; a very large, very pregnant belly, which only made its owner that much more beautiful.

This was a nightmare. Sophia had seen enough. She had to get out of here. Forgetting completely about her clients and her lunch date, she turned her back on the sickeningly happy scene in front of her and began walking quickly in the opposite direction. Just as she thought she was free, a loud voice called out from behind her.

"Sophia!" A man's voice shouted across the crowd.

She froze like a scared rabbit. Her brain screamed at her to keep moving, but the voice shouted at her once again, preventing her from leaving.

"Sophia!"

What if it was her Ralph Lauren clients? Running away from them wasn't exactly going to make a great impression. She cautiously snuck a peak over her right shoulder. It was not one of her advertisers. Instead, it was her high strung assistant Anthony, waving wildly at her from the entrance to the restaurant. A wave of annoyance washed over her and she gestured at him to be quiet, but it was too late. The damage was done. The moment she turned around, Daniel Meade's eyes fell directly upon her in full recognition.

There was no escaping. As Daniel's eyes found her, so did the eyes of everyone else in his little group, not to mention a few curious strangers on the street. She was trapped. She wanted to run, but her dignity wouldn't let her. Instead, she decided to accept her fate.

She walked slowly back toward the restaurant, her head spinning as she searched frantically for something to say. She tried to appear as casual and unaffected as possible. Anthony met her half way, looking as though he had something to tell her, but she gave him the "not now" look and he backed off. She wouldn't hear anything he had to say anyway. Right now, she was unable to focus on anything but Daniel.

Not wanting to stand around in awkward silence, she decided to be the first one to speak.

"Hello, Daniel," she said solemnly.

"Sophia," he responded lightly as if he weren't at all surprised to see her. He seemed remarkably unshaken by her sudden appearance.

"How are you?" He asked, without the slightest hint of anger or resentment in his voice.

"I'm, I'm well," she stuttered, not knowing how to react to his cordiality.

"I hear MYW is doing well. I guess this is your third year; that's wonderful."

"Thank you." Sophia was stunned. His warmness toward her seemed genuine. She definitely hadn't expected this kind of a reception.

"How have you been, Daniel?" She asked cautiously. Despite his friendliness, she still felt extremely uncomfortable. Besides, she wasn't exactly sure she wanted to hear the answer to her question.

"Amazing," he offered without hesitation. As the words came out of his mouth, he flashed a loving, sideways glance at the woman standing next to him. Sophia had, for the briefest of seconds, forgotten that the woman was there. This instantly reminded her.

With Daniel momentarily distracted, Sophia couldn't help herself. She stole a subtle peek at the woman, who was smiling affectionately at Daniel. She was just as beautiful up close as she had been from a distance. Sophia felt a faint hint of recognition. There was something oddly familiar about this woman.

"So much has changed," Daniel began again, dragging her from her thoughts. "I don't think I've ever been this happy before."

"Oh," she responded lamely. "That's terrific."

"Sophia, this is my wife," said Daniel, gesturing toward the lovely woman by his side.

Sophia almost choked. Not that this should come as much of a surprise, but hearing the actual words come out of Daniel's mouth was like a punch to the gut. Sophia reluctantly extended her hand, which had become numb from shock. And that's when she saw it; a ring unlike anything she'd ever seen. Nestled within its filigreed, platinum prongs was a pink diamond the likes of which would have made Mariah Carey jealous. It was by far the most stunning wedding ring she'd ever seen.

"It's nice to see you again, Sophia," said the woman, accepting Sophia's offered hand.

Again? Sophia froze mid-hand shake. This _was_ somebody she'd met before. Why couldn't she place her?

"I'm sorry, have we met before?" Sophia finally asked.

"Sophia," Daniel interjected. "You remember Betty?"

The weight of realization hit Sophia like a ton of bricks, almost knocking the wind out of her. The face of the woman in front of her suddenly came into violent focus and it was indeed Betty Suarez, her former assistant, now evidently Betty Meade. Sophia found that she could barely breathe. This wasn't possible. She stared in disbelief. The Betty now in front of her was no longer the awkward young lady whom Sophia had hired three years earlier. She had blossomed into a stunning woman. She had also managed to maintain her own quirky sense of style and individuality in the process. And now she was Daniel's wife. It was almost too much to comprehend.

"Betty?" It was all Sophia could muster in terms of a response.

"Yes," Betty smiled; her teeth now free of the braces she'd once worn. "It's me."

"And this is our family," Daniel continued. "This is Betty's father Ignacio, her sister Hilda, her nephew Justin and my mother Claire, whom you probably remember."

"Hello, Sophia," said Claire with a hint of triumph in her voice. As she spoke, she stepped forward and placed the little girl back into Daniel's arms, almost as if to drive the point home by placing the final nail in the coffin.

"And this little angel here is our daughter, Amelia," said Daniel with a huge grin.

The girl threw her chubby arms around Daniel's neck and buried her face in his shirt.

"I guess she's decided to be shy today," he shrugged.

"She's beautiful, Daniel," Sophia admitted. "How old is she?"

"She just had her first birthday a little over a month ago," Daniel beamed.

"And the two of you are expecting again I see," Sophia added, unable to fully suppress the sarcasm in her voice.

"Yes," he agreed exuberantly, paying no attention to her tone.

Sophia instantly regretted the comment, for as soon as it left her lips, it drew Daniel's attention straight back to Betty. The mere mention of his pregnant wife and Daniel became all dreamy eyed. Moving closer to Betty, he placed a hand on her belly.

"I've got about two months left," added Betty, covering his hand with her own.

"That's great." Sophia tried her best to sound sincere. "The two of you sure don't waste any time, do you?"

"What's the point in waiting when you know what you want?" Daniel's rhetorical question rang painfully in Sophia's ears.

"Well, who can argue with that?" Sophia conceded. She was ready for this encounter to be over.

"You know, I should let you get back to your lunch," she suggested. "I'm kind of busy anyway. I'm meeting my clients from Ralph Lauren here shortly and I don't want to miss them."

"Actually, there's been a change in plans," Anthony chimed in. Sophia looked over at him in annoyance.

"What are you talking about?" She asked brusquely.

"That's why I'm here," he said nervously. "The advertisers from Ralph Lauren called the office. They're not coming."

"Oh," she said, finally defeated. It couldn't possibly get any worse than this. As if running into Daniel and his phenomenally gorgeous family wasn't enough, now she'd been stood up.

"You're welcome to join us for lunch if you'd like," offered Daniel.

"No," she blurted out, almost too forcefully. "I mean no thank you. I didn't really have time for lunch today anyway. I have a lot of work I need to get done at the office. I should go back. Betty, Daniel, it was nice to see you both."

"It was nice to see you too," said Daniel. "Good luck with everything."

"Thank you. Good luck to you too," she said. "And congratulations to you both."

And with that, Sophia grabbed Anthony by the arm and turned her back on Daniel Meade for what would certainly be the last time. Her heart sank as she walked away. Stopping at the street corner, she allowed herself one final glimpse over her shoulder. She had a faint, fleeting hope that he would be standing there, watching her go; longing for her as much as she now longed for him. This was not the case.

Daniel and his family had already forgotten her. They were huddled back together, laughing and enjoying each other's company as they headed into the restaurant. In ten minutes, they wouldn't even remember they had seen her. Daniel hugged his daughter to his chest and placed his other arm around Betty.

"I love you." Sophia watched the words fall from his lips as he gazed at Betty and their soon to be second child. The street was a commotion of noise, but Sophia didn't need to hear the words to know what he'd said. She could read his lips and see the meaning in his eyes.

As Betty and Daniel disappeared into the restaurant together, Sophia turned away for the last time, dropped her head and lost herself in the surging sea of people. Here in the heart of this bustling city, surrounded by hundreds of people, she'd never felt more alone.


End file.
